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Thursday, December 14, 2017

Our Furry Friend

Our Charlie boy left this earthly life a few short weeks ago.

He came to our family through a failed first attempt at fostering.

In 2011, we had returned to Camp Pendleton (California) from NAF Atsugi Japan. Our on base housing area was not initially pet friendly but as soon as they made the policy change, our SemperFiFam made the decision to foster. Charlie was just a puppy found abandoned at a campground in the pouring rain. When he locked eyes with Kyli, he never turned back. He was instantly drawn to her and always wanted to be with her. He was too adorable to give back. I'm pretty sure it took us all of two days to adopt him.

That is the story of Charlie :)

Compiling these photos, which have graced blog posts over the past six years, was bittersweet. Charlie has been a huge part of our family and this blog. He is one of the best decisions we made for our military kids. He gave them a sense of consistency and companionship throughout our military moves. Wherever this SemperFiFam went, so did Charlie.

Pets are a funny breed. They can aggravate you to no end and still capture your heart. Maybe a little like we feel about our kids every now and again :) We cannot deny that Charlie was cute as a button, a lot high maintenance, and a tad bit sassy.

Charlie was a big fan of naps and sunshine. If he could have a nap in the sunshine, then his day was made. If he could have a nap...in the sunshine...while cuddling with you...#bestdayever.

Charlie was a California dog through and through. I'm not sure he ever really forgave us for transplanting him to the East Coast. His days of warm weather and fenced yards were out of reach. He had to deal with fleas, cold winter weather, and rain. Oh God forbid the rain! That boy would hold it all day long when it rained. My heart breaks a little just thinking of his face when I forced him to pee in the rain.

California was the one thing we saw eye to eye on :)

He looks happy :)and strangely comfortable.

Charlie was the guinea pig. Always being brought into things he wished to escape.(He never did like Halloween. Hot Dog was his default costume. I think he always secretly wanted to be the princess.)

You get the point.

He was very loved and beyond loyal to his girl.

The things she could get him to do!

I'm not a dog mom (by any stretch) but Charlie was part of

our family.

He went everywhere with us; sometimes, against my wishes.

He was a trooper. When I think of what a tiny dog he was to keep up with our adventures. I have to give him credit.

It's hard to lose a pet. The kids struggle with his absence. Charlie was their first and only pet so he holds a special place.

His passing was sudden and traumatic. We weren't expecting to say goodbye so soon. It's a sad situation whenever it happens. My heart goes out to anyone who has lost a pet because I never realized what that felt like.